


In the Heat of the Night

by zenkitty555



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alpha Stephen, Alpha/Omega, Amnesia, Doctor Strange Kinkmeme, Friends With Benefits, Knotting, M/M, Mentor/Protégé, Omega Mordo, Omega Verse, Post-Doctor Strange (2016), Power Exchange, Romance, Sorcerers, Teacher-Student Relationship, sorcery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-11-02 01:49:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10934481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zenkitty555/pseuds/zenkitty555
Summary: Based on a Prompt from the Doctor Strange Kimkmeme:Strordo Omegaverse AU: Male Omegas are rare and that’s why they’re seen as precious and treasures that must be taken care of. Omega!Mordo is the only omega in Kamar-Taj full of Alphas, so when he goes through his heat… Let’s just say there’s probably a line of alphas queue-ing outside of his rooms. All changes with the arrival of Alpha!Stephen and now Mordo’s heat is only triggered by Stephen’s presence and Mordo’s embarrassed by how he goes into needy omega mode around Stephen.





	In the Heat of the Night

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: Contains some dubcon tones like In most Omegaverse fics. Episodes of amnesia like symptoms are present in the story. Proceed with caution.

When Stephen Strange entered Kamar-Taj, Karl thought he was just doing another good deed, repaying his debt to the powers that be. As long as he had been a master, it was his responsibility to bring in new, worthy students into Kamar-Taj. Although they did not always finish, and he had made a few wrong choices in the past, he had a good feeling about Stephen. The man was clever, hungry, and had a good heart. He wouldn’t make a mistake like with Kaecilius again.

While he watched Stephen struggle the first few classes, he tried to push from his mind any lingering doubts. Surely the man would do well once he let go of all of his assumptions. However, the Ancient One was getting anxious about his progress, and Karl could kick himself for suggesting that he would be useful against Kaecilius. It looked as the Stephen would not be able to advance as quickly as that, but still Karl had to faith that he would be an asset to their ranks.

As he thought about his good deed, he barely registered the fact that some of the students had started to stare at him a little more than normal. It was natural they would be curious about their instructor, so Karl thought nothing of it until Wong came and sat across from him.

“So have you chosen one yet?” Wong joked, sitting down with his plate of food.

Karl looked at him, not understanding at first.

“What? Oh, it’s already that time isn’t it?” Karl asked with a bored expression. 

“I don’t know how you can forget a thing like that when almost everyone else can feel it.”

“Why? Are you jealous?” 

Wong smirked, “What is there to be jealous of?”

Karl frowned, knowing the man was doing it on purpose. To be honest, Wong was one of his favorites, as he was very straightforward and really didn’t try to curb favor with Karl every time his heat came around. He was also gentle and sensitive to details, something lost on most other Alphas. Even if Karl chose someone else for his heats, Wong never took it as a slight. He was a true friend in every sense of the word.

“One day I may think you are being serious.”

Wong smiled at that, laughing quietly. 

Their attention soon turned to the side of the table as they watched Stephen walk up to them.

“Er, can I sit here?” Stephen asked.

It was odd, as normally the student’s kept away from the masters. It was a little like school in that way. Apparently Stephen never got the memo.

“I guess,” Wong said, his voice devoid of emotion.

Karl knew it was his tactic to keep students away, as they tended to come and go, unlike him and Wong. It was hard on the heart after a while to build relationships only to lose them months or years later. Karl also had a feeling that Wong found Stephen irritating, as Stephen’s curiosity often got the better of him, much to Wong’s chagrin.

“So what are we talking about?” Stephen asked.

“Nothing,” Wong replied.

“Oh.”

The sudden addition of Stephen made it a bit awkward to continue to talk about heats, especially since Stephen probably didn’t know yet. Most of the new students didn’t know until after the first one, but they quickly found out why their master was ‘ill’ for the day, as one of the others students filled them in. 

“Master Wong was just remarking on the various interests of the students. Tell me Stephen, what have you found interesting so far in your time at Kamar-Taj?” Karl asked.

A pink tinge marked Stephen's face as he thought of his answer. It was amusing how much emotion he showed. One would think that someone who tried to project such intellect would at least learn to control his face. Maybe his unguarded expression was part of his confidence; he didn’t really care who knew what he thought.

“Feels like med-school again, just less...questionable extracurricular activities?” Stephen joked. 

Wong looked at him unamused, but Karl smiled. Stephen was an odd cat compared to the others. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wong give him that look that he gave Karl sometimes after Karl had chosen a student Wong thought was unworthy. He didn’t know why the other master looked at him like that, as he was not going to choose Stephen to share his heat with.

“If you will excuse me,” Wong mumbled.

They watched as he got up and left, half of his meal unfinished. Karl felt a little sorry for Stephen, as it seemed that he had rubbed people the wrong way frequently. Although he tried his best to get along, it was hard to shake his old habits. The way that he talked to others was borderline rude most of the time.

“You must have been a good doctor,” Karl remarked.

Stephen’s face fell at that remark. Maybe it was too soon to talk about it.

“I was one of the best. I guess it’s why I’m here, right? I need to find my way back. The kind of work I was doing, it saves lives, and not just one or two, but possibly hundreds of thousands.”

Karl looked at him. It was possible his hands would get better, but he would have to learn to channel his energy, and Karl felt a little sad about that notion. Stephen could be so much more if he chose.

“Well. You have the talent. Hopefully you will get there,” Karl remarked politely.

Stephen smiled at that. These little moments were one of the things that made Karl love the work he did. 

After Karl finished his meal, he bade Stephen a good night and left, contemplating on who he would choose over the next day or two. 

Ultimately for this one, he wound up choosing Wong yet again. Wong was a safe bet, as he was looking for someone he knew would be gentle. The time before, he had chosen poorly, as although the young man had tried his best, it was not as satisfying and he lacked the stamina. 

Even though at times heats were burdens, he felt blessed in a way, because he knew that he had a lot more advantages than most. As a sorcerer as well, his heats provided him with opportunities to cast spells that others could not, so it didn’t bother him. There was a trade and a balance in the way of things, and once every 45 days or so he could pay the price for that.

\----

Things progressed nicely, even if there were always ups and downs.Thankfully, Kaecilius had not progressed in his translation and mastering of the spell to summon Dormammu. At the same time Stephen had been making leaps and bounds in his training after the Ancient One had left him on Everest that one day. It was actually miraculous he not only survived but thrived, and seemed to rejoin the world spiritually. When his heat came around the next time, Karl even thought about asking Stephen, but eventually decided against it. Instead he asked Daniel, as he had sworn off students for a while after one of them had tried getting aggressive with him a few days before. Just because he was an Omega didn’t make him submissive, and he had that particular student removed from Kamar-Taj, fearing for the safety of some of the other students.

Daniel was a romantic at heart, although he hid it under his gruff exterior. Whereas Wong was honest and gentle, Daniel always made him feel good by whispering sweet nothings in his ear while being very knowledgeable in his execution. 

It was interesting to Karl to compare people's different styles. It wasn’t like he ranked them, but rather it was like choosing what flavor of ice cream to have on a hot summer's day. Sometimes strawberry was more satisfying than pistachio, and there was nothing wrong with having choices. At times though he was ashamed for this line of thinking, as it made people seem like meat, but he couldn’t help himself. Karl had accepted it as the natural way, as it had been like this since he presented. Around the time of his heats he had to choose carefully, unlike with ice cream.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder about Stephen. He was most definitely an Alpha with his strong pheromones rolling off the man, but Karl wondered what kind of bed mate he would be. He was obviously a man that had some experience, and Karl wouldn’t have been surprised if he had attracted male Omegas before. In a city like New York, he must have come across a few. 

It was a moot point though, as his next heat wouldn’t be for another month or so. In that time he would be able to suss out Stephen’s style a little more thoroughly, gauging whether he would be up to the task.

He tried to put those thoughts away as he trained Stephen about relics. It was a good lesson, and the man was easy to teach at this point. He was curious to an extreme at times, but Karl came away from the lesson smiling and amused by Stephen and his questions.

The only downside to the day was when he went back to his rooms he started to feel a familiar sensation. It frightened him as after all his years it was the first time he felt his heat come early, way too early for his liking. To suddenly have his body reacting in this way was worrying. Had it been a few days early, he probably wouldn’t have taken notice, but it came in half the time it normally did. Right then he decided that he needed to see a doctor. Unfortunately,as it was nearing one in the morning all the doctors that he could possibly see were in their beds. The only thing he could think of was visiting Stephen, as he didn’t want to go to a hospital. Stephen may be able to shed some light on the situation. 

When he knocked on the man’s door, he was surprised how quickly Stephen answered it. It seemed like he wasn’t asleep yet, unlike the rest of Kamar-Taj. He looked startled by Karl’s visit. 

“Master Mordo. Is there something I can do for you?”

“I need a doctor. There’s a problem, and I don’t think that it can wait until morning.”

Stephen’s eyes went wide with worry.

“What’s the matter?” He enquired.

“How much do you know about Omegas?” Karl asked.

All of the pains and throbbing of his insides were getting stronger by the hour. He tried to quell his panic. He knew it didn’t necessarily mean that he was ill, but it was not a good sign. 

“Um, in the world approximately 25 percent of women posses the traits to some degree, although many do not exhibit symptoms beyond having extreme sex drives around the time of ovulation. The World Health Organization estimates there are approximately 5 percent of male Omegas in the world, but that could be an underestimate due to stigmas in certain cultures. Why? Is there an Omega at Kamar-Taj that needs a doctor?”

Karl tilted his head in confusion. It seemed that Stephen didn’t know. Karl was not sure how the man didn’t know by now. Even if the student’s couldn’t smell him, he knew they all talked about it. The only way Stephen could not know is if he didn't talk to the others. 

That must have been it. Stephen didn’t know because he didn’t talk to the others. It was probably the reason he sought out Karl so often. Being of a similar age, plus with Karl feeling responsible for Stephen as a student probably didn’t create the emotional distance that most of the other students felt. In some respects his relationship with Stephen could be a double edge sword, but Karl had to believe it was for the good. 

“Yes.”

“Well lead the way,” Stephen said smiling.

He looked almost excited to be of help, and Karl furrowed his brow. He tried to be patient.

“It’s me.”

Stephen jerked back a little out of shock; his face plastered with an expression of disbelief. The conversation would be little uncomfortable, but he didn’t know what else to do. He couldn’t have this happening now.

Stephen looked around the hallway before pulling Karl inside of his rooms.

“What’s wrong?” 

“My heat is starting too early. Not by a few days, but by weeks. I need to stop it.”

“But you can’t. Even if there was medication being sold on the open market that could possibly stop it, it would be too late now, because once it starts, that’s it. There are no treatments except for sedation. If you want to be sedated, I guess it would be possible, but...” 

Karl shook his head before taking a deep breath. It was as he feared, and it seemed he couldn’t escape it. He would have to handle things before it truly began, and he groaned out of frustration. 

“Stephen, I have to go inform the Ancient One, but I will be out of time to find someone to help me through my heat. Could you possibly help?” Karl asked.

Stephen’s eyes widened for a microsecond, before his mouth twitched into an almost sympathetic smile. It was an odd reaction, as most others would reply with a flattering, ‘yes or of course.’

“I guess I could do that,” Stephen said.

There was a hint of skepticism in his tone. It was peculiar, but Karl had to focus on preparing for the next day. He couldn’t believe that it was coming so quickly, and he was sure it was going to be a severe heat. 

After he informed the Ancient One and made arrangements with the other masters to cover his duties, he returned to Stephen's quarters to fetch the man.

Bringing him to his own quarters, Stephen looked around his rooms, which were not too different from the students, albeit with a few more objects and more privacy, as especially his room was a bit further from the others. 

“Rest, bathe, meditate. You’ll need it before we begin,” Karl warned. 

Karl spent his time the same way that he did before every heat. He poured them some tea, something that contained an agent for pain relief, as by the end if it they would probably be sore.  Stephen prepared himself, occasionally asking for items that he could not find in the bathroom. Karl changed into his dressing gown, and sat reading a book, a favorite of his from his youth.

When Stephen came out, drying off his hair, Karl looked up. He had known Stephen to be fairly fit and now quite neat in his appearance, but he never really  _ looked _ at Stephen before. The way the dressing gown stuck to his slightly humid skin and the way that it tied around his waist, was a sight that actually made him put down his book. It started to make him uncomfortable, and he averted his eyes after a moment. He knew he had been on the verge of starring.

Stephen came over and picked up the book, looking at it’s cover.

“Carmilla?” He murmured. 

Karl didn’t respond to that, instead plucking the hard covered bound pages from Stephen’s hand and looking him in the eye.

“You should rest. It will be a physically taxing experience,” Karl gently reminded him. 

There was some hesitation on Stephen’s part as he sat on the bed across from Karl. 

“What’s it like?” Stephen asked. 

It was an unexpected question. 

“What do you mean?”

“Being an Omega and a male? Of course I know the basics, but isn’t it tedious? Isn’t it cumbersome?”

Karl smiled softy at the man’s questions. 

“At times, but anyone well versed in sorcery knows there are many more benefits. You have no idea yet, but while you will be physically exhausted after, I will draw power from you. In return, in about three days time, you too will feel a burst of power or so I am told. Those who do not practice sorcery do also feel this to some degree, but for us it’s amplified. It’s why Omegas are prized in our community.”

He didn’t want to sound like it was boasting, but he did have a sense of pride about being an Omega.

“They didn’t teach us that in med-school,” Stephen said with a tone of disbelief.

Karl laughed his low rumble of a laugh, “You are the one that came in to Kamar-Taj complaining of chakra’s and eastern medicine. In western medicine, the transference of energy is written off as adrenaline or hormones from the act itself. It’s not true, as you will come to know soon enough.”

It was almost soothing to sit with the man and have a conversation that was not superficial, and unlike what others had been telling him, Stephen did occasionally listen when he deemed the speaker knowledgeable about the subject. It was probably why he irked Wong so much, as his brazen arrogance was a turnoff for most. However, Karl was not like most, and he found some humor in it. It was like a wayward teenager discussing how the world works. He wouldn’t call Stephen innocent by any stretch of the imagination, but there were times that he came off as immature? He wasn’t quite sure how to describe what it was that attracted him.

“I’m guessing you’ve never been with a male Omega before. I’m a little surprised to be honest, you seemed like someone to try everything at least once,” Karl stated.

The man shook his head before replying, “It seemed too complicated, and with many of my partners I would not want to be that intimate.”

“And me?” Karl asked quietly. 

It was quiet for a moment, and he felt the air thicken with suspense. Karl could feel that his hesitancy was not out of a rejection, but rather an uncomfortableness of sharing his feelings. He could physically see the man’s internal struggle with the way that his chest fell and rose, as if something was blocking his windpipe making it harder to breath normal breaths. 

“I don’t want to lose your friendship, and these kinds of situations sometimes change things, but I know you trust me.” 

His words were soft and filled with emotion. 

Honesty- it was why Karl felt like this for the man. From the first day he had been raw with honesty and passion when he spoke. Even when he did dishonest things, he could never hide it in his voice or in his face, like a child. That was it. It was his honesty that attracted him.

Karl laughed to break the tension. 

“You think too much about these things. It’s not my first time, even if it’s yours. I promise if things change, it won’t be from my end.”

When the words left his mouth, he could feel that they were lies, even if they were not originally like that in his head. They were at the point where Karl knew that it had already changed for both of them. The minute Stephen had plucked his book from his table, he was lost, and oh how he was lost in the most glorious way. 

As it was nearly four in the morning at this point, he watched Stephen close his eyes and drift off to sleep for a little. Karl wrapped a small throw over his lap and focused on trying to stave off his heat for a little longer. He was tired as well, but he was used to this. It was part of the motions, and only when beads of sweat started to form from his body overheating and felt that overwhelming throb, did he know he couldn’t stave it off any longer.

Quietly, he slipped into the sheets next to Stephen, gently prodding him awake. Still in a sleepy state, Stephen rolled over to face him and kissed him. 

So it began, with Karl returning Stephen’s kiss, and Stephen’s hands roaming over his dressing gown, downwards to untie its closures. After he ran them back up the exposed flesh, stopping at Karl’s chest. He could feel the anxiety in the man’s actions, as if Karl were some sort of porcelain doll, not wanting to push too far or hard. Stephen’s hands rested lightly, only moving with slight involuntary movements.

Karl broke their kiss.

“Don’t worry about me. Really, if I don’t like something, you will know.”

“Of course,” Stephen said looking down at his own hands. 

That must have been part of his hesitation. Karl had forgotten the man had such a complex about his hands. He raised them up to his mouth, kissing the scars, and it earned him the most gloriously delicious blushing from the other man, his pale skin unable to hide the flush. Karl groaned, as he felt the slickness beginning to drip between his flesh and onto the sheets. It would really take hold in a moment, and he wanted to savor these raw touches of intimacy that he scarcely ever allowed himself. There were very few he was able to trust to take these moments with, but for this night, he would throw caution to the wind. 

As he let go of Stephen’s hands, Karl made a show of reaching down between his own legs, finding his hole and teasing it, sliding a finger in with relative ease. As very little time had lapsed between this and his last heat, it wasn’t as difficult as it normally was, but he was getting impatient. Despite his body’s haste, he wanted the moment to stretch on. He watched Stephen as he looked at him lustfully as he added another finger.

Then that was it. It was all he could remember, until it was over. Regaining his senses he was now on top of Stephen tied to the man by his knot, and Stephen looked absolutely exhausted while completely satisfied. It was the downside or occasionally the upside to heats. During the middle of it, the transference of power was so overwhelming that part of the brain just sort of shut off. Karl wasn’t quite sure if this was only something that happened with sorcerers. Even though he didn’t remember anything, his previous partners had told him that he was lucid and responsive during the whole thing. It just never registered in his memories. It was the way things were for Karl, but Stephen of course would remember everything. 

“You know, the brain can only handle so much. I’ve read about it, but it was the first time actually seeing it,” Stephen said quietly. 

Karl tilted his head, registering the words. 

“I bet most people can’t even tell though. You’re pretty bossy about what you like.”

Karl looked sheepishly off to the side. He had no idea about that, but he believed Stephen. Wong had mentioned something vaguely along those lines one time, but he had chalked it up to Wong’s personality. 

“How could you tell?” Karl asked.

“Your eyes.”

Stephen ran his hands up and down Karl’s thighs, more out of comfort than anything else. Sighing, Stephen smiled then bit his lip becoming lost in thought. Although this was normally the most uncomfortable and difficult part of the process for Karl, he felt at ease with Stephen for some reason, so the time they were stuck together passed quickly. 

When he laid next to Stephen, he stuck out his hand to brush his hair to the side. It would be another three or four rounds before his heat would be over, so he would have to save his energy. Karl was glad though, he had found another good person to go through his heats with.

It was a taxing process to be honest, but Stephen rose to the challenge most marvelously. All those moments that they had together and Karl was aware, Karl would treasure them. A lot of it was frank talk about nothing of any consequence, mostly questions about Karl and being a sorcerer. It filled his heart with happiness to be able to engage such pillow talk, something he had often struggled with, even with the people he was closest with. 

After it was all over they didn’t talk about or mention it, but continued with their own lives. Something changed though, and Karl saw less and less of Stephen after that night. The other masters complained more and more about him to the Ancient One, but she seemed not to care, and Karl kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want it to seem like he was playing favorites, even though they already knew he was. 

The only one he could talk about it with was Wong, as it was confusing for Karl and he needed someone.

“Do you think I have caused this?” Karl asked the man.

“No. Strange has always been this way, but I worry for you,” Wong said seriously.

“That is silly. Why would you worry for me?” 

“Because you are in love. Not a fleeting infatuation either.”

Karl stared at him in disbelief. He was most certainly not in love with his student. Granted he felt affection and maybe even an attraction for the man, but it was not love. He was grateful for that night that Stephen had helped him through his heat on the spur of the moment. It had been a very intimate experience, but heats always were. 

“I think you mistake my concerned for something more. I would feel the same about you. You know that.”

Wong rolled his eyes, which just annoyed Karl further. 

“Fine. I don’t care if you don’t want to acknowledge it, but as your friend, you need to think of yourself first.”

The way that Wong looked at him with worry in turn worried him. It wasn’t if he neglected himself, he had always put himself first. It was the reason he had stayed at Kamar-Taj. 

Sighing he looked into his cup, not meeting Wong’s eyes. 

“I always do. You know me.”

In truth, they had had a similar conversation before a few times, albeit not about love. Karl didn’t actually fall in love, but he did become attached at times. It was one of the reasons he had plucked Stephen from the street. He felt he needed those who would eventually help themselves. It satisfied him, as he felt like he was repaying the Ancient One for her kindness. Wong didn’t really understand, as he had never been that desperate to find a place for himself in the world.

“I wish I could believe you. Anyways my friend, just promise me that you will come to me if you do find yourself in any bad sort of way. I am not talking about your heats either,” Wong replied.

Karl smiled and nodded. 

He didn’t think much of the situation with Stephen after that day and that conversation with Wong. Occasionally he did meet and talk with Stephen, and he was able to see what Wong was talking about. Stephen had always been independent, and that’s why he rejected most of the others. He wasn’t rejecting Karl, he was just being his normal self. 

When they met in the halls one night, Stephen was returning from the library, and they stopped to talk. Karl felt his palms getting sweaty, and his throat a little drier even before they spoke. Taking in deep, but quiet breaths, Karl smiled.

“I hear you’re teaching yourself these days?” Karl ventured.

Stephen looked slightly embarrassed, like a student who had been caught breaking the rules. It wasn’t a rule, and he obviously did well, so Karl had no idea why he would be embarrassed. 

“Well, sometimes autonomy is the goal right? Obviously we are all still learning, even if it’s small life lessons,” Stephen responded.

“Yes, I guess you're right.”

Karl looked down at the books in Stephen’s hands. They were complex volumes, filled with magic much above his level. He had only recently received his red robes two months or so ago, so it surprised Karl. 

“I will come to you if I have questions,” Stephen said, his voice huskier than usual.

“Please do. Don’t hesitate.”

“Even if it is late at night?” 

“Sometimes these things can’t wait, can they?”

Karl didn’t know what possessed him to say such a thing. Of course questions could wait until the morning, but he didn’t want to discourage his student or his friend. He needed to be there, just in case. Often those needy in the middle of the night, they were struggling with other things and that was his main concern. He wanted to be there if he felt troubled. Stephen could come to him for anything.

“Yes, sometimes they can’t.”

Karl didn’t even know what they were talking about anymore, as he just stared at Stephen’s lips with their soft peaks, remembering how they felt a few weeks ago.

“I’m sorry. I need to go. I have some business to attend to,” Karl said before leaving. 

He didn’t look back as he left and went to his own rooms. Trying to push the exchange from his mind, he readied for bed, and sat down with his book. Although the prose work was engaging and beautiful, he kept thinking about meeting Stephen in the hallway. He closed his eyes, trying to empty his thoughts once again.

When he woke sometime in the middle of the night, he found himself with a stiff neck from sleeping in his chair and feeling an uncomfortable, yet familiar sensation. His jaw tightened in reaction to the sudden burst of stress that he had received from this revelation. It had been only about 25 days since his last heat.  A little longer than time between the last two, but much shorter than the normal 45. He had no idea why this was happening. He had meant to look into it before, but it had slipped his mind with everything else he had to do. 

Trying to concentrate on understanding what his body was doing, he realized that it was like last time. It would be only be hours before his body would be crying out, needing to be satisfied. He thought about going to Wong for a fraction of a second, but he knew it was only because he didn’t want to go to Stephen. It was scary how much that not only his body, but his heart cried out for him. His stomach seemed to heave from all the butterflies in it, as he thought about knocking on the man's door again. 

After he made his decision, he went first to inform the Ancient One, who looked at him with worry, before he headed to Stephen’s quarters. His heart had won over his head. He brought his hand up and knocked on the door. This time there was no answer for half a minute. Stephen came to the door looking disheveled from being asleep. If Karl had no sense of propriety, he would have kissed the man right then and there, but instead he stood, his mouth slightly parted. Stephen looked at him, waiting.

“It’s happened again. It’s come early. I don’t know what to do,” Karl blurted out.

It was understood what Karl was talking about.

“Again? That’s not normal.”

Of course it was not normal, and Karl knew that, but he politely kept silent. Stephen stepped closer to him, as if to smell him. It was not something that was normally done so obviously. It was actually quite rude, but Karl couldn’t bring himself to mind.

“Yes, I know.”

“So would you like me to help you?” Stephen asked.

Karl nodded, unable to say the words. He watched Stephen put on his outer robe before they left to go back to Karl’s quarters.

“How much time do you think you have?”

“Not long.”

It was the truth. It seemed to be coming on faster and stronger than the previous times, but some of that might have been the raw attraction that he felt for Stephen. Suddenly, he felt scared. It was the first time in a very long time that he had felt scared before his heat, reminding him of his teenage years and his early twenties. 

When they got to Karl’s room it was almost as if Stephen could sense it as well, as he wrapped Karl up in his embrace. He was so warm, and felt comforted by it. 

“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” Karl said, trying to keep his voice steady.

“I know. We will find out. I’m sorry I don’t know much about these things. We never really spent much time on it when I was a student, and I may not have been paying much attention at the time.” 

Stephen let him go to undress him. It felt weird to have someone do it for him. Normally he would do as he did before with Stephen, having his partner become comfortable as he quietly took care of himself. It was a routine, but this time there was nothing routine about it. 

He felt his body become overheated quickly, and Karl helped Stephen out of his dressing gown and the little clothing he was wearing. They stood there, and Stephen looked at him with a loving expression plastered over his face. Then they were on the bed with their mouths smashed together, and only the need coursing through his body seemed to matter. There were no pretenses about easing into things. In the brief moments between standing and when the heat took him, he regretted for a fraction of a second that he wouldn’t remember. His heart gave a thrashing beat out of the pain that he could not vocalize. 

When he came to, Stephen was looking down at him, his thumb stroking Karl’s cheek. Karl sighed before turning his head away from Stephen’s gaze. 

“It’s not the most ideal situation, but I’m glad you came to me,” Stephen said after a minute. 

He must have recognized that Karl was aware now, and Karl nodded in response. At that moment he realized that Wong had been right, he loved Stephen. It was a scary thought, as he had never allowed himself to fall in love in all of his years on the earth. Then he came across this man, and it was like the fates knew. They had known before Karl could even imagine it. 

“Thank you. I don’t know what is wrong with me.”

Looking back up, he watched Stephen smile at him sadly.

“We will find out. Don’t worry about that,” Stephen reassured him, pressing a kiss to Karl’s temple. Looking into his eyes, Karl searched for any hints of Stephen returning his feelings beyond a superficial level created by the heat. It was hard to tell. Of course the only time he needed to read Stephen’s face the man guarded his expression well. It was a bit silly to not just ask the man, but he remembered what Stephen had said about not wanting their friendship to change. Karl told him that the change would not would be from him, and he wanted to honor that. 

“Are you fine with this? If I pressure you too much, please tell me,” Karl said. 

“No, of course not. I’m happy to help.”

Mulling over Stephen’s answer, Karl decided that his affection was more one sided, and although he felt disappointed, it was not devastating. It could be comfortable like with him and Wong. He wouldn’t mind that. 

When the swelling of Stephen’s knot subsided and he lay next to Karl, Karl allowed himself to curl up so his head rested on Stephen’s shoulder as he slept. He watch the man’s chest rise and fall, even lulling Karl to sleep eventually. It was the first time he had ever slept in the middle of the heat, and he figured it was due to being so comfortable. He only awoke as the next round began, and his body cried out to be filled once again. 

When his heat was over, it was hard to imagine what it had been like with others. Although the memories of spending his heat with others were still there, if he tried to recall them, his mind would only drift back to memories he had with Stephen. 

\----

It took a few days to find a specialist on male Omegas, as it was not a very hot specialty in the medical field. Thankful he was able to find one in Hong Kong, and the doctor spoke English well, as Karl’s Cantonese was subpar at best. 

The doctor told him that occasionally heats were triggered by certain Alpha’s if their pheromones were compatible with the Omega’s. This greatly worried Karl, as he knew that the one who had triggered him was Stephen, and Stephen was still in the middle of his training. It seemed as if he would be fated to having his heat every three weeks or so if he did not seclude himself from Stephen. 

He did not want to go through heats in half the time, nor did he want to push Stephen away. In the end though, he would have to make a decision, as the doctor had confirmed what Stephen had said earlier, there were no treatments, and even no treatments to prevent heats that he could legally prescribe.

With a heavy heart, he decided he needed to separate himself from Stephen, and it would not be that difficult to do, as Karl did not teach any classes he might attend anymore. Stephen normally kept to the library, and as long as Karl ate earlier or later, then he would avoid running into him all together. 

At the same time, he couldn’t shake the disappointment and his sadness. The only one he could talk about this with was Wong, but the man seemed almost self-satisfied when Karl talked of his predicament. 

“If you don’t stop now, I know it will only get worse.”

“One may think you are jealous with the way you carry on about it,” Karl snapped back.

Wong narrowed his eyes.

“You are my friend, and I know you’re only saying this because you are depressed about this situation, but you may want to change your tone. I am only trying to help.”

Karl sighed looking at his friend.

“I’m sorry. You are right.”

Then that was the end of that, and they did not talk of it again. Karl instead was relegated to keeping his feelings to himself. He knew that if he really wanted, he could have talked with the Ancient One, as she always seemed to know when something was wrong with him. However, he could tell she was preoccupied with Kaecilius and was focusing all of her attention on Stephen, who now wore his blue robes. It seemed as though she wished to use him and Karl felt uneasy about this. More than likely Stephen would become a casualty when the time came, as he had only been training for months. He knew though she planned something with him.

Occasionally they saw each other from across the courtyard, or in the hallways, and Stephen always tried to come near, but Karl managed to avoid him. While avoiding Stephen, he counted down the days till his next heat every night. When he passed the 40 day mark he breathed a sigh of relief, although it hurt as it came out. Everything hurt these days though, and he became withdrawn and morose. 

When his heat did come upon him, he went back to picking people he could trust, again picking Wong, but their dynamic had shifted. Wong tried to comfort his friend the best he could, and Karl tried to hide it, but he could tell when he had come out of his heat that that side of him could not hide it well. Apologizing for whatever he had said, Wong brushed it off. However, he could tell he had hurt the man, even if he wasn’t aware of what he had said.

He made up his mind the next time to ask Stephen again, but to keep away from the other sorcerer before that time. It would be something instead of the nothing he was currently getting.

Before that could happen though, he and Wong caught Stephen with the eye of Agamotto. Karl’s world started crumbled from that moment.

\----

The first time his heat happened after he had left Kamar-Taj, he spent it alone, and in one of the most excruciating and agonizing pains of his life. The only pain that topped it was when he had cracked his skull as a teenager while learning from his grandfather.

As he laid in his old rooms, his knees tucked to his chest, he resolved himself not to be in the situation during the next heat, even if it meant crawling back to Kamar-Taj to find someone. He knew that if worse came to worse he could always beg Wong, and the man would probably not refuse him. 

So when the next heat came around, and he had not found someone to spend it with, he crawled back to Kamar-Taj, looking for Wong. It was surprising that Wong didn’t chastise him for his sudden departure, but rather welcomed him back into what Karl once considered his own sanctuary. Wong was obviously irritated, but patient.

“I am glad you are safe, and finally rational,” Wong said, passing him a robe.

“I cannot accept the way things are done here anymore. Between her betrayal and Stephen’s, it makes me sick.” 

Wong stared at him as he changed into his own dressing gown.

“You owe that man your life. Although I will acknowledge your displeasure with the Ancient One is valid, albeit severe, your anger at Stephen is misplaced.”

Karl felt annoyed at his interference. Wong knew this, but he continued anyways, “Stephen went into the dark dimension and what do you think happened there?”

“He made a deal with Dormammu.”

“No, he tricked him by trapping him in a time loop, sacrificing himself again and again so that the Earth would not be engulfed by the dark dimension. Dormammu found leaving the Earth was much better than being trapped for eternity with Strange. That is what happened up there. If you want to keep rambling about the natural law go ahead, but you would not be here today if it weren’t for that man.”

Karl pursed his lips considering these new facts, torn on what to think. Stephen had been selfless for maybe the first time in his existence, only trying to protect life. Yet, he still broke their laws while doing it. This was not the same as the Ancient One, but why did he still feel betrayed by it?

Wong sighed and laid down on the bed. Gone was any of the gentleness that he had long ago, replaced with irritation that rolled off of him. He looked tired, and very much unlike the friend he knew and loved. Somehow Karl knew that he was also contributing to this. 

“He has been distraught by your absence,” Wong said quietly. 

“And you?” Karl asked.

Although his heart still struggled with whether to forgive Stephen or not, at this moment he could only hope that he did not compromise his relationship with his best friend. Karl crawled into the bed next to Wong, lying close enough to touch his arm, but no more. 

“You need to fix this first before we can start talking about me. I will help you tonight, but not again, because we both know that you are hopelessly and utterly in love with Strange. Frankly, I don’t care to play third wheel to a couple. I do not enjoy being in messy love triangles with infantile middle aged men,” he grumbled. 

Karl didn’t say anything, as Wong spoke the truth. It was hard to admit that, but his heart knew that Stephen could be forgiven with time. He only hope Stephen would want the same. 

When his heat had passed and he had rested, Wong suggested that he spend some time in New York and sent him off. It was a message that he was not welcomed back at Kamar-Taj, and most certainly not welcomed back into Wong’s rooms. 

Karl went through the entrance that linked Kamar-Taj with the New York Sanctum, and the house was quite, probably because it was early in the morning. Stephen would most likely be asleep, and Karl felt nervous about meeting the man again. Once Wong had set him straight on the facts, he felt a lot of mixed feelings. He couldn’t completely absolve Stephen of his wrong doings as he often did them before thinking about them, but at the same time, he now understood that Stephen was not aligning himself with any dark entities. Karl’s heart and body ached for the man, even if his brain tried to hold him back. 

He walked through the empty, dark halls, trying not to wake any of the other inhabitants. Who knew what creatures lurked inside of the Sanctum at any given time. He was positive the last time he had come across a pair of talking snakes. However, this time he came across nothing, and he almost didn’t venture down the second floor, until he saw a light flickering from the library. Going down the hall, he didn’t know what to expect. If Stephen were inside, what would he say?

He pushed the cracked door open, and sure enough Stephen was inside. Unexpectedly, he was sleeping on the floor, a book covering his face. It was a peculiar sight to see. Sighing, he bent down and removed the book from Stephen’s face before waking the man. Stephen’s eye slowly opened and became wide when he registered that Karl was staring over him.

“Is this a dream? One of Nightmare’s tricks?” He mumbled. 

“Sleeping in a bed would be more comfortable,” Karl responded.

Stephen quickly picked himself up from the floor, standing close to Karl, his expression bubbling with emotion. 

“I mean how is it possible? I thought you left us for good. Wong just kept telling me to forget, but how could I? How could I forget when you made me love you?” Stephen said, practically whispering. 

Karl was taken aback. Although he knew that he loved Stephen, he didn’t think the man felt that deeply about him. 

“Now I feel like this is dream.” 

“I just can’t understand how you could leave me when you said you loved me,” Stephen said, emotion rising in his voice along with the volume.

Karl looked at him. He had never said such a thing, and as Stephen scanned his face, the other man sighed. 

“Right, you don’t remember. It was during the last heat we were together. You told me you loved me and I told you the same. Only, I knew it at the time you wouldn’t remember. I just forgot that small detail.”

There was a slight disappointment in his voice; although he finished speaking with one of his smiles, his sadness lurking underneath it. Karl could feel his heart thump hard in his chest as he registered what Stephen was talking about. It had been foolish of them not to talk about it, with him not wanting to disturb the status quo. 

“I want to remember. I never thought it a burden not to remember, until I met you. I want to remember badly. Please believe me.”

Everything was raw at this point, and he wanted to make a move, but couldn’t bring himself. They just stared into eachother's eyes, silence engulfing them for a few moments. 

“Why did you leave?” Stephen finally asked. 

“I thought you had submitted yourself to Dormammu. I thought I had lost both my teacher and my pupil to the ruler of the dark dimension. Who could I trust? How could I continue?”

“How are you here now?” 

“Wong. I went to Wong during my last heat. He corrected some of my misunderstandings,” Karl said. 

Stephen bit his bottom lip, hesitating to respond. Hoping he was not hurt, Karl waited for a response. 

“Please don’t leave again. Stay here with me. Don’t go back to Kamar-Taj,” Stephen rasped. 

Leaning in, Stephen’s mouth met his and Karl let him deepen the kiss. It was the first time they had kissed outside of his heats, and he wanted more: more days, more hours, more kisses, and a lot more love. He felt that he deserved it, and he didn’t care what anyone else would say. Even if he would be subjected to heats every week, he didn’t care. Living in emotional pain for the last few months was more than enough for him. The loneliness he had felt and the thoughts that ran through his head haunted him still. He had been in such a bad place.

Molding his body to fit Stephen’s, Karl wrapped his arms around Stephen’s torso, while Stephen’s arms rested at his lower back. It felt almost like a heat, except there was no slickness, no painful throbbing, just his body burning from desire and too many layers preventing their skin touching. Stephen pulled away from him first; his mouth reddened and his lips parted slightly. 

“I’ve wanted this moment so badly. I’ve wanted to have you, all of you, with me inside you seared into your memory. You don’t know how hard it was to realize that although I was with you, I was never  _ with _ you.”

“It’s the same for me,” Karl said resting his chin against Stephen’s shoulder. 

They stood there for a second in an embrace, and he felt Stephen’s hands slither down to come to rest on his behind. 

“Please, Stephen. I want you tonight. I don’t want to wait another day.” 

He felt the man press his very hard erection against Karl before pulling away and grabbing Karl’s hand. It was a crude, but a very effective response, and his own cock jumped at the thought of having Stephen inside him.

Guiding him through the Sanctum, they eventually came to Stephen’s room. Entering, Karl noticed that it was very different from all the other rooms, more cozy, and it looked like something out of a book. It was very unlike Kamar-Taj or Varf Mandra, but he didn't waste time looking around much. There were more pressing matters at the moment.

Stephen practically launched himself at Karl, devouring his mouth, and their hands began to rid one another of their clothes, only breaking when necessary. Karl helped Stephen with some of the more intricate clasps, and soon they were nude, with Stephen pushing Karl back onto the bed. They both went down with a soft thud, Stephen’s erection pressed into his hip, as he pinned Karl to the bed with his forearm resting just below Karl’s clavicle. They continued like this, exploring each other’s mouths until it was too much to bear. 

Stephen sat up, his eyes burning with desire as he looked at Karl.

“Fantastic,” he murmured. 

For the first time in his life Karl had someone who whispered those things about him, rather than the situation they were in. He knew that those words were only describing Stephen’s feelings for him. Love spread over him and seemed to infect every blood vessel in his body. There was no other way to describe it. He closed his eyes for a moment to indulge in his feelings. 

“You okay?”

Karl nodded, opening his eyes again. 

“It’s been a long time since I’ve done this outside of my heat.”

Leaning forward, Stephen pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead, before getting up to fetch what Karl could only assume to be some lubricant from the drawer. Watching as Stephen came back to him, they wordlessly adjusted their positions for Stephen to have better access. Stephen hesitated for a minute.

“Please tell me this isn’t a dream.”

Karl smiled a wide, genuine smile; the corners of his mouth pulling back further than they normally did. Watching through half closed eyes as Stephen slicked up his fingers, he found himself impatiently pushing against Stephen’s legs. He had no idea that he could be this greedy, as normally he was the kind to take things slow with his partners, reassuring them that they had all the time in the world. Yet, here he was like a child on their birthday, only thinking of himself. Really, he should be ashamed, but he couldn’t feel anything but pure desire. 

He groaned as Stephen circled his hole before pushing in. It was different, cooler than the slickness from his heats, no matter how much Stephen had tried to warm the liquid. It wasn’t as if he had never done this, but as he was a very busy man, it was not something he did on a regular basis, and he had to remind his body that it needed to relax a bit more. For some reason, it didn’t naturally know, unlike when he was in his heats. 

“Oh by the Vishanti,” He cried out as Stephen found his prostate. 

How he had forgotten what pleasure was to be found in the act of sex. He had always been satisfied with the amount of intimacy in his life, so these carnal acts had often been forgotten.

Stephen chuckled at his outburst; his eyes practically sparkling. 

“More,” Karl demanded. 

“Now you know what a pain you are when we are together. There is no rush this time,” Stephen chastised.

Even though he teased, he inserted another finger into Karl. Slowly stretching him, now a much easier progress, while also making sure to occasionally brush that spot that sent that spark coursing through him. 

“Yes, like that,” Karl said, gripping at the sheets, trying not to touch himself. 

“I know exactly the kind of thing you need. If you let me lead, you may find me to be more of a master at this than at magic,” Stephen growled playfully.

“I can believe that,” he teased back.

Stephen smirk and leaned in to kiss Karl once again. This time it was sloppy in the heat of the moment, with Stephen adding a third finger during the kiss. Karl pulled away to groan near Stephen’s ear. Then he felt emptiness before the head of Stephen’s cock came to rest at his entrance. Karl waited for him, but he just rested there.

“Damn you. Just fuck me already,” Karl growled. 

“I should make you wait.”

But he didn’t, slowly pushing into Karl as he said it. Throwing his head back, he let out a soft moan. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this satisfied with a partner outside of his heat. However, he had a feeling that this was one of the powers of love people talked about. It made everything that much more perfect. His heart felt like it was ready to burst, and he almost felt as if he would be driven mad if he didn’t have Stephen in him fully and completely. 

When he got his wish, he actually just wanted to stay like this, and angled himself to reach around to grasp Stephen to hold him there. 

“Don’t move,” Karl said.

This wasn’t like being knotted, it was comfortable and he could feel every small unintentional movement. 

“Why? Are you okay?” Stephen asked, a note of worry in his tone.

Karl nodded and sighed a dreamy sigh. All the rush and hurry had gone out of him as his body seemed to realize that he wanted it to last forever.

Stephen bent further to stroke the hair on Karl’s head. He seemed to understand that Karl was too busy being lost in the feeling. It was the touch of someone who cared very much, something he had been missing all these years, because no matter how well his partners had treated him during his heats, it couldn’t compare to this. 

“I love you,” Stephen said. 

“Words cannot describe what I feel,” Karl murmured back. 

Karl moved his hips to signal to Stephen that he wanted to continue, too emotional to speak. How the man had made him like this, was still a mystery, because it had passed beyond pheromones long ago. If he thought about it too deeply, his mind would label it a weakness, but he was tired of listening to logic.

So he decided to let Stephen lead, giving him that little extra bit of himself he had never given before. Even though he knew that as he did this, Stephen didn’t realize or understand the significance. One day he may tell the man, but it was not that night. 

Stephen wrapped his hand around Karl’s very hard erection, stroking him to the rhythm of the jerk of his hips. Karl with his hands free, grasped at Stephen’s legs encouraging him to honestly fuck him in earnest, and they came nearly at the same time. Stephen slowed before bending forward to rest his forehead at the crook of Karl’s neck, laughing slightly. Karl ran his fingers through Stephen’s hair. 

“Oh, that was… You are surprising sometimes,” Stephen said.

“In a good way I hope,” Karl replied quietly.

“In the most perfect way.”

Stephen kissed his forehead and pulled out of Karl, who found his legs to be much more sore than he thought they would be. He was pretty sure that Stephen would also have some bruises from where Karl had been gripping the back of his legs a little too tightly. 

He looked over at Stephen, who looked at him, with a smug look of self-satisfaction. Karl grinned, glad that he had come back despite his initial misgivings. Thoughts of what he would do as a sorcerer nagged him still, but he knew that he couldn’t abandon this life as he originally planned after he had left Hong Kong. The rest would come later. For now though, he let himself relish in absolute contentment.


End file.
